Can you tell us more about why you entered the awards for 2024?

BROTY Scotland 2024 Winner, Aimee Bridal Couture: I decided to enter the awards this time because I feel like we have had amazing growth in terms of the amount of brides we see and that we provide so much towards the bridal and wedding industry as a whole. We are always looking for ways to improve on everything from our designers and fitting rooms to our in store procedures and the events we offer our brides. 

BROTY Ireland 2024 Winner, Love Ellie Bridal: There is so much excitement around the Bridal Buyer Awards each year. There is such an amazing buzz and for us, it is so inspiring to see the most amazing retailers and suppliers come together for one night and celebrate! The Bridal Buyer Awards are so highly regarded within the industry, it was such an honour to be able to enter and put our boutique and our team forward to compete within the Irish category. This is a really big win for us, we are thrilled beyond words.

Tell us more about the entry process.

BROTY Scotland 2024 Winner, Aimee Bridal Couture: The entry process actually made me think of more ways we can improve but also made me realise again just how amazing my team are and what brides think of their experience in my store. As a person and business owner I am always looking for success and then moving onto the next big project that we can sink out teeth into and the entry process made me take stalk of how far we have come which to be honest isn’t really in my nature to do. It’s always go, go, go for me and taking the time to reflect and be proud of myself, my team, and our goals we have achieved was lovely. 

BROTY Ireland 2024 Winner, Love Ellie Bridal: The entry process takes time and a lot of consideration. You have very little word count to try and communicate all that needs to be said!! Really focusing on what is unique about your business is the key, I think. Every boutique presumably has good customer service for example, but what are the elements that make your business truly different. 

Why do you believe your boutique was crowned?

BROTY Scotland 2024 Winner, Aimee Bridal Couture: I believe our boutique was crowned the winner because as a group of women we really care about our brides and their guests and we welcome and host people into our store and really enjoy the process of doing this as much as our brides do. We empower our brides, their families and each other every single day at work and we are always looking for feedback and ways we can improve on our customer experience. We all love bridal and fashion and I think that shows to everyone who comes into contact with either Aimee Bridal Couture or Aimee Bridal Couture Ready To Wear, our outlet store.

BROTY Ireland 2024 Winner, Love Ellie Bridal: We have worked really hard to provide a very different shopping feel and experience for our brides. Our boutique was once the caretaker’s cottage on the English Lord Headfort estate here in Virginia, Co. Cavan. We rented it from the family and converted it into a really unique bridal boutique. All three of our fitting rooms for example were once bedrooms in this old house and so they still have the servants bells installed and each and every door frame and door in our boutique is the original, from the early 1900’s. We sandblasted and repainted them and so many brides and their families (Mums and Dads) comment on the old features and how wonderful it was that we were able to keep/maintain these historical characteristics. Our fitting rooms still have the original fireplaces from the early 1900’s that we lovingly cleaned and repaired etc. We even kept part of the original staircase which leads from our large downstairs showroom up to the private fitting rooms on the second floor. The ceilings are vaulted and still have the original mouldings. So for our brides, our boutique is not just your average retail space that has been divided up into sections, our boutique has so much character and life, it has so much historical relevancy in our town. 

What are your pearls of wisdom to offer to similar boutiques?

BROTY Scotland 2024 Winner, Aimee Bridal Couture: 1) Don’t focus on what others are doing, focus on yourself and only compete with yourself from the years before. 

2) Measure growth and be proud of how far you have came.

3) Always make friends if you can with other business owners, bridal or not. It’s tough at the top making all the decisions, always being positive and always having drive and new ideas for the team. Having people who are in similar roles is great to share things with and bounce ideas off of.

4) Never stop reading, growing, training and learning - as an owner, stylist, social media creator, customer experience manager etc - things change all the time and being at the top of your game and up to date with current practices, trends, fashion and leadership will keep you at the top of your game.

BROTY Ireland 2024 Winner, Love Ellie Bridal: 1) Be prepared to work harder than you ever thought was possible!
2) Surround yourself with cheerleaders and those who will support you unwaveringly on this journey
3) Although it is a rollercoaster ride of emotions, try to enjoy the process as much as possible. Those early days of starting your own business are the most terrifying and exciting all at the same time and those are the ones you will remember forever. 

And finally, what does this recognition mean to you and your team?

BROTY Scotland 2024 Winner, Aimee Bridal Couture: This award means the whole world to us. We have won lots of small awards throughout the year but I don’t think there is an award that we hold in higher regard as this one and to win honestly just was so amazing. The awards night was brilliant and sharing this with my team is a moment I will never forget and my eyes fill every time I think of it or watch back the video of it. 

A massive thank you to Bridal Buyer judges, our designers, my beautiful team of strong women and all of our brides who shop in my stores. 

Forever Grateful. 

BROTY Ireland 2024 Winner, Love Ellie Bridal: This award means everything to us as owners and to our team overall. Over the past 7 years, we as a team have pushed ourselves to the absolute limit with regards what we can achieve with this business and consistently pushed the boundaries. When we opened our boutique first in 2017, we were in a small, first floor location above a café. We very quickly outgrew this original premises and instead of rushing into finding a larger, generic retail space, we had a vision and a wish list for what we wanted next. Top of that wish list was character! We really wanted a space that had a story to tell and interesting features that our brides would love. So to be crowned Bridalwear Retailer of the Year Ireland is the cherry on top of all the hard work and we couldn’t be more grateful!